We used grommets last time, but these reinforced straps work better. Used sail repair tape on the bottom side of the reinforcements for additional strength. If you use Thompson's Water Seal use a sprayer. Rolling it on uses way too much.

If all you need is shade, shade cloth is pretty easy to sew on and can be made quite tidy looking. But if you want dry, then something waterproof is best. Spraying with Thompson's will extend the waterproofness of fabric tents, but regular cotton canvas is very prone to sun rot. However, at $25 apiece, you can buy a lot of them for what you'd pay for one made from Sunbrella or WeatherMax 80. I think the OP's tent is a nice color, too, as well as being a frugal choice.

I recently bought some custom length shade fencing like you'd see surrounding tennis courts called Windscreen4less off of Amazon. 2 6x30 rolls were around $100. I'll update when I know how long they'll last. You can get it much cheaper if you buy the standard sizes. Looks real nice.

I purchased a 9 by 12 butyl covered canvas tarp( drop cloth) for $26( that's the largest size they carry) from Sherman Williams - I could have a 12 by 15 for the same price without the butyl coating. PS I put bolts in the canvas and wrapped line around it to make ties, marbles work better

update on tarp. I think next time I'll just go with standard canvas drop cloth. butyl didn't really make it rain proof and I think it's holding in moisture that's making it grow some black mold. Plus it's bit more expensive.

We used grommets last time, but these reinforced straps work better. Used sail repair tape on the bottom side of the reinforcements for additional strength. If you use Thompson's Water Seal use a sprayer. Rolling it on uses way too much.

Mike and Brenda

Hi Mike and Brenda,
looks very nice
How did you fabricate the hole for the mast? Any tips and or photos?
Cheers